Bethke, Turner finish as national runners-up at USATF indoor meet

One current and three former members of the Arizona State University track and field team competed at the 2009 USATF Indoor Track & Field Championships in Boston over the weekend with a pair of athletes returning to the Valley of the Sun with national runner-up finishes in their respective events.

Brandon Bethke, a current member of the program that is redshirting the indoor season, ran in the 3,000m race and placed second with a time of 7:54.20. He was edged out by David Torrance, who won the race in 7:53.67. The program’s second runner-up came in the long jump where Matt Turner recorded a best of 7.77m (25-06.00). He was edged out by two centimeters as Randall Flimmons won the event with a mark of 7.79m (25-06.75).

The two others with ties to the program that competed were Kyle Alcorn, the 2008 NCAA Indoor 3,000m and 2008 NCAA Outdoor 3,000m steeplechase champion, and Dwight Phillips, the 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist in the long jump. Alcorn competed in the 1,500m run, placing 11th overall in 3:52.61, while Phillips competed in the 60m dash, placing ninth in the preliminaries in 6.72. Phillips did not advance to the finals, missing out by one place.

The current Sun Devils will send a handful of athletes to a pair of last chance meets this weekend, including meets at Iowa State in Ames, Iowa, and at Washington in Seattle. This weekend is the final chance for athletes to qualify and/or improve upon their entry marks for the NCAA Championships, which be held on March 13-14 in College Station, Texas.